Make: Date, Peanut Butter and Coconut Smoothie

Fuel up right with this high-fiber, high-protein breakfast smoothie.


Although detox juices have their place, I much prefer a smoothie. Since you blend whole foods—skin, seeds, the whole kit-and-kaboodle—the end result is much more filling. As the weather gets warmer, my morning oatmeal ritual begins to feel a tad too hot—literally. So smoothies become my speedy (not to mention healthy) way to eat breakfast.

A little background on this particular smoothie recipe: My one-year-old daughter loves peanut butter and dates. For a snack, I’ll slice one side of a date and fill it with peanut butter—a surefire way to keep her busy for at least three minutes. As my mom watched me prepare this snack recently, she told me that her mom used to fill dates with peanut butter and roll the edge in coconut for dessert. I was intrigued, so I got a bag of unsweetened coconut and rolled my daughter’s snack in it, and—guess what?—she loved it! Not only is this snack 100 percent natural, it’s also full of fiber, healthy fats and protein.

I decided to try blending these puppies up with some silken tofu to see how it would go down as a smoothie. I like to use tofu in place of yogurt in smoothies, and I promise it doesn’t taste funny, especially with these flavorful additions.  But if you prefer, you can sub fat-free Greek yogurt and get similar results. The smoothie version of this classic snack was great: just sweet enough and very filling. Now, drink up!

Date, Peanut Butter and Coconut Smoothie
Serves one

5 dates
1 tbsp. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c. silken tofu (or nonfat Greek yogurt)
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 c. vanilla unsweetened almond milk (or skim, or soy)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3-4 ice cubes

Method
1. Place all ingredients in blender and blend at least a minute or until smooth.

Per serving: 426 calories, 23 fat grams (including 5.3 grams saturated fat and 0 grams trans fat), 365 milligrams sodium, 43 grams carbs, 7.1 grams fiber, 31 grams sugar, 17 grams protein.

Related Post
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie: The Greatest Thing I’ve Ever Made for Breakfast

>> Get more Be Well Philly recipes here.

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Becca Boyd is a wife and new mom who teaches culinary courses to students in the Radnor School District. She creates healthy and delicious recipes in her West Chester kitchen and blogs about them on her website, Home Beccanomics.